“Spider-Man” superstar Tom Holland dropped in for a surprise visit to the Campus School at Boston College, which will be receiving new adaptive equipment and technology thanks to a $25,000 grant from a nonprofit run by the actor’s family.
Holland, whose girlfriend Zendaya is shooting a film called “The Drama” in Boston and other Massachusetts towns, spent several hours Thursday in each of the six classrooms at the Campus School, which educates students ages 3-22 with extensive support needs, according to a press release from the college located in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
The British actor talked with students and even jumped in on tambourine and vocals during a music therapy session.
“We are so grateful to Tom Holland for taking the time to visit our small special needs school,” said Campus School Interim Director Thomas Miller. “He participated in a music session, posed for photos, and fully immersed himself into our students’ activities and their hearts.”
Nonverbal students were able to greet Holland using assistive technology, pressing switches or utilizing eye gaze devices to introduce themselves and welcome him to campus.
“Every single student was engaged, they were vibing off the room for sure. The way he engaged with them was really quite beautiful. He was just so natural and so caring,” said Jennifer Miller, the Campus School’s marketing manager. “He couldn’t have been more down to earth. He was fully, fully engaged with our students—they were absolutely the priority—but he was so friendly towards the staff as well.”
Hundreds of BC undergraduate and graduate students have been volunteers and teaching assistants at the Campus School, which was founded in 1970. Last year, a former volunteer’s mother, who knew the Holland family well, called Miller and recommended the Campus School apply for a grant from The Brother’s Trust, which supports nonprofits that “struggle to be heard,” the school said in its news release.
Last month, The Campus School was awarded a $25,000 grant that will be used to purchase assistive technology as well as a ceiling lift for physical therapy exercises.
The private, publicly funded, special education day school is located within the Lynch School of Education and Human Development on the Boston College campus. The Campus School benefits from innovative research in special education, graduate student Teacher Assistants, a thriving University-wide volunteer program, and meaningful relationships with Boston College athletes and teams, according to the school’s website.
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